The Thin Line between Love and Hate
by AquilaTempestas
Summary: Kai has moved to Australia in a desperate attempt to put his shady past behind him. He makes new friends, and seems to adapt well, when things start to fall out of his control. Some things are just never meant to be no matter how much you wish it were. Highschool. AU. Kai/Julia/Tyson/Hilary. Strange pairings. Language warning, sexual content etc. Nothing After All Complete Rewrite.
1. Horrors of the Past

**Disclaimer**

The rights to Beyblade belong to Takao Aoki

**Title**

The Thin Line between Love and Hate

**Summary**

Kai has moved to Australia in a desperate attempt to put his shady past behind him. He makes new friends, and seems to adapt well, when things start to fall out of his control. Some things are just never meant to be no matter how much you wish it were.

**Soundtrack**

I normally compile a list of songs I listen to while working on epic stories, and this is one of them.

"This is Who I Am" by Vanessa Amorosi

.

**Chapter One: Horrors of the Past**

_Monday_

_Kai brought his face close to the kid's own, a firm hand grasping the shirt of his victim. The boy peered up at him, deep brown eyes wide open with fear. With a smirk, Kai brought a fist into the side of the boy's face, then released him. The boy toppled to the ground, eyes burning with tears. A bruise would appear on his face later._

"_Don't fuck with my plans again," Kai warned, giving the poor kid a sharp kick to the stomach._

_The boy curled up into a ball, sobbing. Someone placed a hand on Kai's shoulder. "Good work, Kai. Wyatt won't bother us again." _

_Kai turned to his companion, a tall red-headed boy called Tala. "He should've known better than to try and steal money from us. The little fucker needed to be taught a lesson." He spat at the space in front of the boy, disgusted at the coward lying before him._

_Tala laughed, and gave Wyatt a kick to the ribs. The boy winced, his sobs becoming louder. "Look at the pitiful fool." He towered over Wyatt's trembling form, and smirked down at the boy. "You try to fuck with the Blitzkrieg Boys again, and I swear you will never look the same again. You got that, kid?" Two other males standing behind Kai and Tala laughed._

"_We should probably get out of here," said a lilac-hair coloured male, cold grey eyes sparkling with malicious intent. "We don't want Wyatt's stupid friends giving us trouble."_

_Kai nodded. Although his gang were fully capable of holding their own against Wyatt's friends, Kai had other plans for the remaining daylight hours. "As much as it pains me to leave, Bryan is right. Let's split up; I'll catch up with you guys later. I've got a girl waiting for me at home," he said, giving his friends a wink._

_Tala gave a hearty laugh. "Alright then, you make that bitch scream. Catch you later, Kai."_

Kai jolted from his bed, a cold sweat gripping his body. That same damn dream again. Except, it wasn't really a dream. It had actually happened a number of years ago when he was still lived in Moscow. How life had changed since then. He lay back down in his bed, and tried to close his eyes to get back to sleep, but sleep wouldn't come. Sighing, he forced himself back up again. Ever since he moved to Australia three years ago, he had been haunted by memories of his previous years when he was a gang leader. He hated that part himself and desperately wished he could erase that part away. But he couldn't so he had to find other methods to cope.

When he first moved to Australia, he coped with his memories by drawing blood from his wrists. It was a release from the pain, but it was only a temporary one. Life had been difficult in that first year. He had no friends. Teachers distrusted him. Students made fun of him. His grandfather drove him crazy. They would fight constantly every day, and it usually ended with Kai running away from home for a few hours only for the police to find him lying on a park bench.

Kai figured cutting was a better way than crying himself to sleep every night. He engaged in this habit at least once every few days after the cuts had healed, only to cut them open again. The cutting period in his life was a short-lived one though; his grandfather had accidentally walked in on him one morning while Kai was trying to bleed himself to death. He was stopped before he could do fatal damage. After that incident, his entire life changed for the better. He had learnt a valuable lesson that day; appreciate life to the fullest.

His relationship with his grandfather improved dramatically after that. Now Kai wasn't sure how he'd cope without him in his life. He could tell his grandfather everything, and he would always listen and offer a solution to his problems. It was because of Voltaire Hiwatari that the second and third years of life in Australia had improved. He had friends now. His grades were some of the highest in the school. People weren't scared of him anymore, in fact many people greeted him with kind words.

The life he lived in Russia was behind him now.

"Kai, breakfast is ready. I made your favourite," said a voice from behind his door.

French toast coated in blueberry sauce. Delicious. He didn't waste any more time lying motionless in bed; he swung his legs over the side and hurried to the kitchen where his grandfather waited for him. "Good morning, grandfather."

"Good morning, Kai."

He took his seat and immediately began to eat his breakfast. "Did you hear the latest news? My old friend Boris is coming to replace the current principal of BBA High," Voltaire said, taking a sip from his black tea.

Boris Balkov. He was Voltaire's old business partner back in Russia about four years ago. Together they ran the Hiwatari Enterprises, a nationwide high quality furniture company. But that relationship came to an end when Voltaire announced he was moving to Australia to start something new. "I didn't realize he was living here."

"He only recently moved here in fact. About six months ago," Voltaire explained. "Stanley wants to travel the world with his family."

That made sense. Stanley had been principal for two decades now. That was a long time to be in charge of a high-ranking school. "It's going to be sad to see him go, but I look forward to seeing Boris again. I was fourteen when we last met."

"Well, you'll have a chance to catch up very soon. He commences his new role next week. Stanley just has to finish a few things off first before he officially swears in the new principal," he said, then brought a hand to his temple. He rubbed it, wincing slightly.

Kai was quick to be concerned. "Headache again? You should probably get it checked out. Persistent headaches aren't good you know."

Voltaire shook his head, then took another sip of tea. "It's nothing to be concerned about. Just a little headache, that's all." He dug into his pocket and pulled out a packet of Panadol. "It's most likely just a cold."

"Well, I hope it is… but I still think you should go and see a doctor," Kai said, taking another bite out of his food. It didn't take him long to clean up his plate. Once he was done, he placed his plate in the sink, and made two glasses of water. One for himself and one for his grandfather. "Drink."

Voltaire did after taking two pills. "Thank you, Kai."

"No need to thank me, it was just a glass of water. I'll go and prepare myself for school, and I'll come back down shortly. I'm taking control of the wheel today; I don't want you driving with those headaches. Besides, I need to get my hours up anyway," Kai explained. He was seventeen now and in his final year of schooling. He was the only one in his tiny group of close friends that had managed to obtain their learner's permit, and he planned to be the only one to finish before the end of the school year.

Voltaire nodded. "I'll be down at the car waiting. Don't be too long."

Kai headed back to his room.

.

"So, Kai you eager to be back at school again after a three month long holiday?" Tyson said from the backseat of the car.

Kai looked at Tyson in the mirror. "What subjects are you taking this year?"

Tyson was his best friend. It was an unlikely friendship; in Kai's first year, Tyson was always annoying him and calling him names like 'Sourpuss' every time he appeared. He was also rather loud and could be quite insensitive to other people's feelings without knowing it. But he proved to be a caring and loyal friend as Kai soon discovered. "Well, I dropped out of maths. You know I hate that subject."

"You were allowed to drop maths?"

"Well, I am the fencing champion so they agreed I could drop that subject to focus on my fencing," Tyson explained. "It's the only thing I'm good at as Hilary likes to point out," he added, scrunching up his face. Hilary was the female school captain, and she certainly enjoyed her position. She particularly liked to target Tyson for whatever reason.

"Oh come on, you know Hilary doesn't hate you," Kai said, stopping at a traffic light. The traffic this morning was pretty heavy right now, and that was probably because it was the first official day of the new school year. Good thing he left fifteen minutes earlier than per usual otherwise he'd be late for school.

Tyson crossed his arms and snorted. "I'm sure she does. You know, on the last day of school last year, she gave me a lunchtime detention because I threw a water balloon at her. I mean, it was the last day of school year! How could I resist?" he complained.

Kai lightly chuckled. "Well, you know throwing stuff at other students isn't encouraged nor tolerated."

"I spent the entire hour writing out the same line over and over again. I will not throw water balloons or any other object at my fellow students. I have never written so much before in my life. My hands were so sore! And you know what she did? She took the paper off me, scrunched it up into a ball and threw it away! All that writing for nothing," he sulked.

"Well, if she bothers you, you can always take it up with the new male school captain, Max Tate."

"Max is a good friend and all, but he can't stand up to Hilary. He's too much of a softie. I mean, come on, his mum still tucks him into bed every night," Tyson said.

Even Voltaire chuckled. "Are you sure that is true, Tyson?"

Tyson nodded. "He told me so."

The tall white building of the main school hall came into Kai's vision, as they drew closer to their destination. The hedge outside the spear-top fence had the words, 'BBA High'. Kai suspected it had taken quite a few hours for the letters to be perfectly trimmed like that. He drove up the main road and stopped at the drop-off zone. Tyson quickly exited the car, and Kai followed, then handed the keys over to Voltaire. "Bye, Voltaire. I'll see you here at three." He waved goodbye, and Tyson did the same. Voltaire nodded, and drove off.

"So… do you think the Psykick group will cause trouble again this year?" Tyson said, as they started walking up the long driveway. A line of trees were situated to their right, while on the far side of the road, the large playing fields stretched out for a few kilometres. They were currently occupied by the school rugby union team, and Kai spotted his rival Johnny shouting at a player.

Kai turned his attention back to the conversation. "Well, I don't know. They didn't cause a great deal of trouble in the last term of last year." The Pyskicks were a group of four individuals who believed they had the right to boss people around. For some reason, they thought they owned the school. Perhaps it was because Stanley mistakenly made them hall monitors which gave them the power to give detentions to troublesome students. Obviously, they weren't particularly liked by the majority of the school cohort.

"And they're not the only troublesome group of students around. I hear Carlos has started up a gang of his own, he calls them the Blade Sharks. They don't particularly like you very much," Tyson pointed out.

Kai wasn't sure why Carlos had taken an instant disliking to him. "I don't know why he hates me."

"Well, you did punch him in your first year here."

"Oh, yeah. I remember that." Carlos had made fun of the markings on his face; Kai had blue fin tattoos on his face, received during his days as a Blitzkrieg Boy leader. He wished he could remove them, but most people didn't seem to mind. In fact, many girls thought they made him highly attractive. "I did apologize to him about that though."

"A year later," Tyson confirmed. "You know he never lets go of grudges."

"He won't cause me trouble this year. The new principal will be on my side."

"New principal?" Tyson repeated.

Kai nodded. "Stanley's leaving to go traveling. My grandfather's old business partner, Boris is taking over. He's a pretty decent guy most of the time. Pretty laidback and easy going. Just don't get on his bad side though."

"Sounds like a male version of Max's mother," Tyson muttered. "She can be pretty scary."

"You worry too much, Tyson."

They continued to walk up the white path, when they heard the beginnings of an argument take place further up. Tyson and Kai exchanged glances – from the sounds of sounds of it, it sounded like a pretty nasty fight was taking place. They wasted no time in getting there. There was a large group, Kai made an approximate guess of around thirty people, standing in a circle. As they moved closer, they spotted their friend Rei in the middle, flanking his friend Lee.

Their Chinese friends were standing just a metre away from two guys, one with bright orange spiky hair, and another male with platinum blond spiked hair. Kai didn't recognize those faces. "Who the hell are they?" Tyson said, running up to the crowd. Kai chased after him. This fight could get nasty.

"Ah, look, the cavalry arrived!" the ginger male exclaimed, turning his head in Kai's direction. Bright blue eyes glinted with mischievous intent. "Don't have the balls to take us on yourself, Rei?" he mocked.

Rei noticed Kai and Tyson's presence. "Don't get involved. We can take them," he said.

"What the hell is going on here?" Kai said. Again, he observed the new males. Both wore identical smirks on their faces.

"They arrived a while ago, and they've already caused trouble," Lee answered, dark eyes never fixed on the opponents. "The ginger said something about 'taking over'. We're gonna let these jerks know they've made a mistake by coming here," he said, almost growling the latter part. He curled his fingers into a fist, and made a step towards the ginger haired boy.

"Take him out, Lee!" Tyson cheered, throwing a fist into the air.

The other students joined in the cheers as well, throwing encouraging comments in Lee's direction. Lee seemed to grow more confident as the cheers became louder. They were loud enough to be heard from the front gate. "Come on, take your best shot," the ginger taunted. "Let's see how well you can fight." He snickered.

"Challenge accepted," Lee snarled. Ignoring Rei's protests, Lee lunged forward, swinging his fists at the enemy. His attempts to inflict damage failed as the ginger easily evaded the attack. Lee growled again, and tried once more to attack, but once again his attack was avoided. "Just stay still."

"What? So you can hit me? That would be pretty foolish of me if I did that," the male replied, a triumphant smirk on his face. "But I'm not the foolish one here… you are. You did insist on starting this fight," he added, waving a mocking finger in front of Lee's face. His companion, the blond, laughed.

"Look, Brooklyn. Don't you think he looks like a lion with that wild hair?"

Brooklyn tilted his head examining Lee. "Now that you mention it, Mystel, he kinda does resemble a lion. Wonder if he ever combs his hair? Must be part of his style or something. Good way to ensure he never gets fucked," he taunted, earning a light-hearted chuckle from Mystel.

"Like any girl would be sane enough to get near that thing," Mystel added.

"Yeah, you're right. He's probably got lice or some weird shit like that."

Kai stepped into the inner circle and walked over to join Rei's side. "I don't know who you think you are, but you can't just come here onto our school grounds and pick fights with people."

Brooklyn turned to face him. "And who are you? His boyfriend?" Kai didn't reply. "We have every right to be here. We're here to get an education. Just like you."

"We'll tell the principal and you'll be sent back to whatever hole you came from," Lee retorted.

"I don't think so… considering the new principal just happens to be our guardian," Brooklyn sneered. "You seem shocked. You mean you weren't aware that your beloved Stanley is leaving to be replaced by Boris?"

Kai froze. Boris was their guardian? "You know Boris?"

"Yup, he certainly is. What's it to you?" Brooklyn said, directing his comment at Kai.

"He's my grandfather's friend."

Brooklyn seemed surprised, then he casually shrugged. "Well, you can't be all that bad then if you know Boris." He jerked his head at Lee and Rei, "But these guys don't. Tell your friend to lower his fists otherwise he will be expelled. Boris has a low tolerance towards the bloodthirsty type."

"Lee, do as he says," Kai warned.

"But-"

"Just do it, Lee. They're not worth the trouble." Great. It was going to be hard teaching these guys a lesson now with this new piece of information. Getting into a fight with Boris' adopted wouldn't give leave a good impression. "Walk away, Lee," Kai heard Rei say. "Kai's right. They're not worth it."

They were soon joined by a female with bright pink hair. Mariah. She rushed up to Lee and threw her arms around him. "Lee! Oh my god, did they hurt you?" Lee shook his head. The girl then turned her attention to Rei, and embraced him tightly. "Thank God, you're okay! Julia and I heard the fighting from a distance. We were so worried we weren't going to get in here time…"

"Don't tell me that lion is your boyfriend?" Brooklyn tested.

Mariah growled. "Lee is my brother, dumb shit."

Mystel whistled. "Ouch, rash words from a lady."

"Fuck you," she spat.

"Please do," the blond replied, smirking.

Rei lifted his hands. "Alright, alright! Let's cut it out! Let's just… move on from this, okay?"

Kai continued to stare at Brooklyn. Where did Boris find this asshole? "Don't cause trouble with us, and we won't trouble you," he said.

"A truce then. Fine."

Somehow, Kai didn't believe him. The guy was far too cocky for his own good. He knew he had power here with Boris coming to take over. The Psykicks weren't going to be too pleased with this; they liked being the dominant force. How would they react when they found out their position of power faced the threat of falling?

.

Mariah glanced at brother. "Lee, you need to learn to control your temper. It's going to get you into serious trouble one of these days," she warned, taking a seat beside her brother. They were sitting outside on one of the tables waiting for the first bell to ring.

Lee spat at the ground. "Brooklyn deserved it. We can't let him and his friend walk all over us. It'll get to their heads, and they'll begin to believe they have power over us," he defended.

"Lee has a point," Kai said. Mariah glared at him, then Kai added, "But I don't think violence is the answer to the problem. I certainly don't want to start a fight." He had been involved in enough fights to last him a lifetime. That was a past he didn't want to repeat. "We'll ignore them. Don't let those guys get to you. When they realize that we're not reacting, they'll stop."

"Kai's right. Let's not start something we'll later regret," Rei said.

Lee grimaced. "Fine. No fighting. But I don't like it."

"Uh oh, here comes the wicked witch of the twelfth grade," Tyson said, jerking his head behind Lee and Rei. The wicked witch of the twelfth grade, Tyson's personal name for Hilary. The girl walked towards them, thin lips pressed together.

"Hey Hilary," Mariah greeted. Tyson refused to admit Hilary was a friend, but she was and being friends with a school captain had its benefits. Like they were able to get away with things other students outside the group wouldn't, such as using their phones during recess. Phones were forbidden to be used during school time; teachers often said there was no need for them during school hours, and if they needed to contact someone, they were to visit the school office. But Max, and even Hilary, allowed their friends to take sneak peeks.

Hilary acknowledged Mariah with a smile, then turned to Tyson. "I heard that, Tyson. I thought I told you to stop calling me that?" she said sharply.

"You're no fun," Tyson muttered sourly.

Kai grinned. Tyson and Hilary were literally made for each other; they just didn't realize it yet. She was always picking on Tyson, and asking him to help her with easy tasks just for the sake of spending time with him, and he was always insulting her in turn or complaining. The sooner the two realized they were meant to be, the better for everyone, Kai thought.

"What's so funny, Kai?" Tyson said.

"Sorry, I think you're both amusing, that's all. Bicker like an old married couple."

As expected, Tyson and Hilary immediately went red.

"I would never marry her!"

"I would never marry him!"

Tyson and Hilary turned away from each other, while the others laughed at their expense. "Aww, aren't they cute?" Mariah teased, making herself comfortable on Rei's lap. The two had been together for three years now and their relationship only seemed to be getting stronger. Kai sometimes wondered what it would be like to share everything with someone else, but he feared his past would reveal itself and the girl would be hurt. So he always turned down offers from enthusiastic admirers in the most polite way.

But there was one girl he found quite hard to ignore. She was possibly one of the finest looking girls in the grade; long flowing two-toned brown hair, and bright sparkling green eyes full of life. She was looking at him now, smiling. Kai automatically grinned back; he couldn't himself. Everytime their eyes met he felt a joy rise up within him. He knew the girl was interested in him – she was always looking at him when he thought she wasn't looking, always sitting close to him whenever possible and always willing to help him.

If only he could be with her.

"Kai? Are you alive in there? The bell just rang," Tyson said, drawing Kai out of his thoughts.

Kai blinked. "Oh, yeah. I've got English with Miss. Tate."

"Hey, so do I!" Julia exclaimed.

Suddenly, the day just seemed so much brighter.

**.**

Although the summary specifically states Kai, he is not the only main character. Brooklyn, Mystel and Mariah are also mains and each will have their own story to tell. For those that followed the now-defunct, 'Nothing After All', you will probably notice some similarities here. There will be a weird Kai/Tyson/Hilary/Julia thing going on here. Reviews are greatly appreciated!

I should point out that only the important events will feature in each chapter. Each chapter is a new day, and will focus on important characters otherwise it just gets too messy.


	2. Support the Cause

**Disclaimer**

The rights to Beyblade belong to Takao Aoki

**Title**

The Thin Line between Love and Hate

**Summary**

Kai has moved to Australia in a desperate attempt to put his shady past behind him. He makes new friends, and seems to adapt well, when things start to fall out of his control. Some things are just never meant to be no matter how much you wish it were.

**Special Thanks**

moonlightvita, Minij Akane, fia3striker, SkyDragonKing (yes, you have infected me with the Kai/Julia virus) and koryandrs for reviewing the first chapter! Also, big thanks to those who have added this story to their faves list already!

**Soundtrack**

"Try" by Pink

**.**

**Chapter Two: Support the Cause**

_Tuesday_

"So, Mariah, your three year anniversary is coming up soon, isn't it?" Julia said, taking a seat next to her closest friend on the back seat of the bus. She flattened the crease on her knee-length navy blue skirt, and gave Mariah a curious look. "What are you going to do to celebrate?"

Mariah nodded, straightening her white blouse. "I have no idea, probably go and see a movie or something."

Julia's jaw dropped. "That's it? That's how you are going to celebrate your third year anniversary by seeing a movie? Come on girl, you've gotta be more adventurous than that. Why don't you sleep with him? That'll make him happy."

Her candid words made Mariah blush. "Julia!"

Julia chuckled at Mariah's shocked expression. "Don't tell me it hasn't crossed your mind. Hell, if I were you, I'd have jumped him by now."

"Good thing you're not then," Mariah replied dryly. "I'd be surprised if you did though – I thought you were into Kai?"

Now it was Julia's turn to blush. "I'm not interested in Kai. No way, nu-uh."

"You're in denial, girl. I've seen the way you look at him. You're obviously attracted to him," she teased.

"How could you not be? He's so sexy."

Mariah tilted her head. Kai _was _a good-looking guy, but she preferred Rei. "It depends on what you're definition of 'hot' is."

Julia jumped up and down in her seat, and looked at Mariah, eyes shining with excitement. "Have you ever heard of the guy-hotness rating system before?" Mariah shook her head. What sort of madness had Julia created now? She loved her and all, but Julia always managed to come up with some crazy ideas. Like the time she thought it would be a good idea to sell home-made icecream on a boiling hot summer's day during a thunderstorm. Julia wasn't stupid – just overly eager.

"What is this guy-hotness rating system?"

"Well, I'll use four guys to explain each concept. Max is cute, Johnny is hot, Rei is handsome and Kai is sexy. So what do these terms mean? When a girl says a guy is 'cute' then that implies he's probably either young or he has features that in some way remind her of a younger person. Like a mamma's boy. This type of guy is usually innocent and naive… like Maxie. He's like a puppy dog."

That description sounded oddly fitting. Max did fit the type relatively well; it was as if whoever developed the system immediately thought of Max. "What's the next description type?"

"Guys like Johnny. When a girl says a guy is hot it means he's sexually attractive, but she probably will not act on the impulse and actually pursue a sexual relationship with him unless she's a whore," she added. "I mean Johnny's hot; he's an athlete so he's got a smokin' bod. I wouldn't sleep with him though, but I'd be tempted to."

"What's handsome then?"

Julia beamed Mariah a grin. "Guys like your boyfriend, Mariah. It means he's attractive in a more sophisticated way and is probably older looking or unconventional looking. He's the type of a guy a girl would probably want to pursue a serious relationship with, as opposed to just a short-term fling. I mean, Rei doesn't have the smokin' hot bod Johnny has with that firm six-pack and all and those nicely toned arms, but he's got this real mature feel about him. That's a compliment, Mariah. Not an insult."

Mariah snorted. This system was probably invented by Julia herself. She had never heard of it before after all. "And what about sexy?"

"This term is basically a fusion of 'hot' and 'handsome'. He's got a smokin' hot bod, he's nice on the eyes facial wise, but he's not a douche. He's mature, smart and wise. Like Kai. In more simplistic words, it means he's got the whole package," she explained, leaving Mariah a little speechless. "Are you still confused?"

Mariah shrugged. "I just find the labelling kinda stupid, you know? I mean, everyone has a different view on who is considered hot, cute, sexy and handsome, right?" Although she had to agree with Julia on her selections; they did accurately fit their allocated category. "But I agree with you. Rei is handsome."

"Ha, somehow I knew you would say that."

"So, what are you going to do about Kai? I know you like him, so don't try to deny it."

Julia's amusement faded. Her shoulders slumped. "I really don't know. I keep giving him signs that I'm interested, but he just doesn't act on them? I don't know if he's interested in me or not. If he is, he's certainly got a weird way of showing it."

"Maybe he's just shy?"

Julia shook her head. "No way, he's not the shy type. Tyson's had a major influence on him in that department. I just… I get the feeling that he's holding back for whatever reason, like he's afraid he'll hurt me or something," she said softly, running her tongue across her lower lip. "I want to talk to him about it, but I get so nervous around him, I'm afraid I'll blurt out something stupid."

"You get nervous? That's unheard of," Mariah gently teased. Julia was one of the most outspoken girls in the grade. She wasn't scared to get in front of a crowd and speak her mind, nor was she worried to get involved in something that could possibly humiliate her. But she knew love could do funny things to people.

"Well, here we are. I've got English again to start my morning off… a double session," she said. "Yesterday was kinda dull, nothing happened. Judy just went through the assessment outline. It's going to be a busy year that's for sure." She rolled her eyes.

"I've got math with my grandfather," Mariah murmured.

"Oh, joy!" Julia exclaimed, tone laced with thick sarcasm. "I hope you don't fall asleep. Anyway, I'll catch you later, I've got a last minute meeting with Stanley. Bye Mariah, see you at lunch."

.

Hilary couldn't stop looking at the back of Kai's head during English. She almost dazed off just by looking at him. But she was the school captain; people expected perfect behaviour from her, and school captains did not fantasize about their crushes during important lessons. She mentally slapped herself, snapping out of her trance.

Judy Tate walked through the front door and stood in front of the class, a large red binder in her arms. "Good morning class. I hope you have all found the time to borrow _Macbeth?_" Simultaneous groans filled the room. Judy sighed. "I didn't think so. Well that's alright because I have stocked the back shelf with the play so you have no excuse not to read the first scene tonight. Grab yourself a copy now. You're going to spend the double reading." She beamed a smile.

Hilary straightened in her chair. She loved Shakespeare… not that she'd ever tell anyone that though. People didn't view her as a fan of romantic tragedies, but the truth was, she found them quite compelling. One by one, everyone stood up from their chairs and queued to grab a copy. Hilary was one of the last people to grab one.

"What sort of language is this?" Hilary heard Tyson whisper from the seat in front of her. They were sitting on the far right of the room, where there were four rows of double chairs. She was sharing a table with Julia.

"It's Old English, Tyson," Kai explained.

Tyson stabbed his table with his pencil. "I hate reading. Reading is boring. They need to fill in these pages with pictures or something, then I'd be more interested. Pictures do say a thousand words after all."

"There is a movie version of the play," Hilary said.

Tyson turned around. "There is? I'd rather watch that than read this. I can't get my head around this Old English crap. It's making my head hurt. I can't believe people used to talk that. How foolish did they feel?"

"Probably not foolish at all Tyson, considering that was the normal way of speaking back then," Kai said.

Judy must have overheard their conversation because she suddenly called for attention. "I realize the Old English might take a little getting used to, so why don't you read in groups? Maybe you can take a role of a character and pretend to be them. Sometimes reading out aloud with other people can help you understand things better." She looked in Tyson's direction, and Hilary knew she was definitely referring to him.

"I don't mean to interrupt Judy, but not all of us can understand Shakespeare's works," Carlos said. Although he was speaking to Judy, he was looking at Tyson the entire time. Several students chuckled.

Tyson growled. "I'm not stupid, Carlos!"

Hilary felt a pang of sympathy for Tyson. He wasn't the brightest student around, but she suspected it was because he was really lazy and didn't want to learn. If he applied himself, she knew he would do a lot better. He needed encouragement. That was something she was afraid to give, in fear he would suspect she liked him. Which, of course, she didn't no matter what her friends believed. "Carlos, please keep your comments to yourself," Hilary said. Kai was more her type.

Carlos smirked. "Did I offend you by speaking the truth about your boyfriend?" he taunted, making kissy faces.

Okay, so it seemed like a lot of other people thought she liked Tyson. Where on earth did they get that idea from? She didn't like him. Honestly. "He's not my boyfriend, Carlos."

"Carlos! Hilary! Tyson! I will not tolerate arguing in this classroom! You are here to learn, not debate trivial matters with each other. Save that for the playground," Judy snapped. Carlos fell silent and turned his attention back to the play, although Hilary heard him mutter something about Hilary and Tyson kissing under a tree. Oh, he was so going to pay for that comment later, Hilary thought. With the powers invested in her as school captain, she was going to give him a detention for whatever reason.

"Save that for the playground. Does she think we're five?" Hilary heard Tyson mutter. Kai chuckled, then stopped upon receiving a glare from Judy.

"I will have complete silence otherwise I will keep you all behind for an extra fifteen minutes."

The class sighed, but they were smart enough not to anger Judy further.

.

Julia sat across from the principal's table, hands resting on her lap. She was feeling a restless as she went over the proposal in her head several times over. Some of the state's leading fashion scouts were coming to the area in three months' time and Julia knew this would be her best chance to get her designs promoted. But she could only do that if Stanley gave her permission to use the school grounds to host it.

But it wasn't just his permission that she needed; she also needed to win support from the student council, which was headed by local millionaire, Robert Jurgen. It was always tough going up against the student council – they often turned down the suggestions and requests of their peers because it didn't match their vision for the school.

People like that didn't deserve to be in such a position of power, but the council was mostly made up of the highly intelligent, the rich and the gifted athletes. Her twin brother, Raul, sat beside her. "Everything is going to be perfectly fine, Julia. I'm sure you'll get your proposal approved by Stanley before he leaves."

She gave her brother a sideways look. "It's not Stanley I'm worried; it's the student council."

"You've got a strong argument why this event should go ahead. I can't see any reason why they would refuse. It'll bring the school attention, and it'll give students an opportunity to showcase their gifts," Raul reasoned.

"Try telling that to the council. I can't think of any student who has successfully pitched an idea to them," she muttered.

"Hilary and Max will support you." It was a requirement of the captains to attend the council.

"I know they will… but I don't think the other seven will support me." The other seven members were Enrique, Oliver, Queen, Johnny, Emily, Ozuma and of course, Robert. It didn't matter if she gained the majority of the votes; she needed the entire support of the council otherwise her event proposal would be turned down.

"Why do you need their support anyway? We can host the event ourselves down at the local park," Raul reasoned.

"This could be my only chance to be seen. I need to put on a good event. We need catering, cat walks, models, tables, chairs… and that all requires money which is something we don't have," Julia pointed out, giving her brother a flat look. "I appreciate your support, Raul, but we can't do this on our own."

At that moment, Stanley entered the room. He readjusted his moustache, and nodded. "You may enter the council room now, Julia."

Julia said goodbyes to her brother, and followed Stanley towards the council room. It was located at the opposite end of the hall in a relatively small room. The closer she came, the more nervous she felt. Get a grip, she scolded herself. I can't afford to show them I'm nervous otherwise they'll write me off immediately.

Stanley pushed the door open. Julia took in a deep breath. "Here I go," she whispered.

.

Looking around the room, Mystel searched for the perfect spot. Normally, he sat in the back corner of the class so he could keep a close eye on all the pretty girls. Unfortunately, his preferred spot had been taken by a trio of rather wide guys. So he looked elsewhere and noticed an empty seat next to a pretty pink haired girl. He immediately recognized her as the sister of that wild fellow, Lee. He glided over to the seat and sat himself down, giving the girl a cheerful wink. Sitting this close to the front made him uneasy, but at least he had a hot girl to keep him from dozing off.

"You're Mariah, right? I remember you from yesterday," he said, opening his modern history book to the very first chapter. The Cold War. Well, that didn't sound particularly mind stimulating. Mariah didn't say anything; in fact, it seemed like she was trying hard to ignore him. "You know it's rude to ignore someone talking to you."

Still, she did not speak. This was getting ridiculous. He wasn't used to girls ignoring him. Usually, they'd be fawning over his stunning god-like appearance. But not this girl. She was immune to his charms. Perhaps this chick was some silly nerd. Nerds were so dull; they had no personality. If she was, then it was a shame. What a waste. "I didn't get the chance to introduce myself properly to you yesterday, but I'm Mystel."

Now she decided to speak. She cast him an icy glare. "Why are you talking to me?"

"I'm getting to know my fellow classmates better, I didn't realize that was a problem."

"I don't open myself up to people who threaten my family and friends," she replied, turning away from him. "Now, if you don't mind, could you please stop talking? I want to listen to what Dr. Zagart has to say." The said teacher was currently pacing back and forth, blabbering on about the Cold War.

"Are you serious? You'd rather listen to this old fool blabber on about things that happened in the past than establish a friendship with your neighbour?" This girl surely had to be a nerd. She was so uptight and serious.

She nodded. "Yes," she said, speaking in a slow drawl. "He's got more to say than you have I'm sure," she added.

Mystel leaned back in his chair, placing his arms behind his neck. "You're upset; can't say I blame you though, your brother is a bit wild."

"My brother is not wild," she hissed, turning back to glare at him.

Ah, now he was getting a reaction. He looked into her face carefully inspecting it. She was rather pretty; he didn't that much of her when they first met, but upon closer examination, he realized she was fairly good on the eyes. Hazel eyes. Silky, smooth pink hair. Full lips. A cute button nose. And most importantly, a decent sized rack. "Who was the other guy with your brother? His boyfriend?"

Mariah's eyes almost turned into slits. "That's _my_ boyfriend."

Darn, what a shame. The girl was hitched to some loser. Still, that wasn't going to stop him. He often convinced hitched girls to spend some time with him. Mariah would be no different. All he had to do was say the right words and soon she would be his. "He must be pretty pleased to have a girl like you at his side."

"And I'm glad to have him," she replied coldly.

Ouch. He could feel the sting in that one. The way she spoke made him wonder if she was the dominant type. He suspected so; she probably wore the pants in the relationship. She seemed liked the bossy, demanding and dominating type. He always liked those sort of girls; ones that would take control in the bedroom that weren't afraid to try new things. Sadly, this girl seemed to believe that Rei was the one. He'd shatter that illusion eventually though. He continued to look at her.

"Why don't you just take a picture?" she said.

Mystel smirked. "As tempting as that offer is, I'm afraid I can't. No camera or mobile policy, you see."

"You don't seem like the type to stick to the rules."

Wagging his eyebrows suggestively, Mystel came back with own comment. "There are a lot of things you wouldn't expect from me. I'd be willing to show you if you'd like."

"Are you forgetting that I have a boyfriend because he'll deal with you if I tell him you're harassing me," Mariah retorted.

"Hasn't stopped me from getting what I want before," he replied, giving her a toothy grin. He then winked. "You'll resist me now, but you'll come to me. They always do." His satisfied grin widened.

"I'm smart enough to not fall for a guy like you."

"Mariah! Mystel! I will have silence!" Dr. Zagart snapped. "If you interrupt class again, I will give you both a demerit!" The look on his face serious; Mystel suspected the guy loved handing out demerits. He looked like the type who enjoyed making students stay behind class. He grumbled.

Mariah faked a grin. "You heard the man. Shut up."

.

They looked at her. She looked back at them. Their faces remained stiff; the lack of expression only added to her already nervous state. The only people who smiled were Hilary and Max. "Please take a seat," Robert said, tilting his head towards an empty chair. Julia grimly smiled and sat down at the circle in between Enrique and Johnny. "Why have you come?"

She opened her mouth to speak, but no words would come out. If only they would stop looking at her like that… Snap out of it, Julia! "I need your approval and support to host an event here on the school grounds," she spoke, careful to control her pacing. "Some of the state's leading fashion scouts are coming to the area and I think this is a perfect chance for us to host them. If we do then we can promote the designs of our fellow students which will heighten our profile." She exhaled. Well, at least she didn't stumble over her words.

Enrique nodded, flashing his pearly whites at the girl. "So, you'll have models right? Sounds good to me!" Julia fought the urge to roll her eyes. Enrique was well-known for his interest in anything female. He was often caught spying on the women's swim team after school hours, just so he could have a perve.

"Yes," she slowly replied. She'd agree to anything if it meant winning support.

Enrique rubbed his hands gleefully together. "Well, you have my support then."

"You're only saying yes because you want to look at girls," Johnny pointed out. He turned away from Enrique then looked at Julia. "I think it's a stupid idea." She bit back an angry retort knowing that would ruin any chance of getting approval. Johnny was known for being an asshole anyway, so she knew not to take his comments to heart. "What do the rest of you think?" he demanded.

"I think it's a great idea. It'll bring attention to our school and it'll give us a chance to boost our overall ranking," Hilary explained, giving Julia a wink. "Let's face it; our ranking is dropping. We need to do something that'll make the community realize we're still a great school and capable of attracting high-ranking people."

Max nodded. "I agree. This could be our chance to prove to everyone else we're not just about sport." At that comment, Johnny forcibly groaned. Max ignored him and continued to speak, "We should get behind it. We have the right facilities to host this."

"It's going to cost us," Ozuma dryly responded, his arms crossed over his chest. "I, for one, do not wish to spend our savings on something that won't be a success." He glanced in Julia's direction and smirked.

"I would love to get involved!" Oliver exclaimed. "I could show off my latest designs as well! And ooh, I could cook for everyone!" He almost seemed to be glowing. "It's about time someone cared about the cultural side."

Johnny sighed. "How many people do you think are going to turn up for this event? Five? Ten? Perhaps we'll be the only ones there. What a great success that'll be!" He threw his hands up in the air dramatically, then continued, "At least sport can pull in a decent crowd."

This wasn't looking too good for Julia at the moment. Although she had the support of four members, resistance was strong. She looked to the members that had yet to speak and hoped they would get behind her cause. "We'll have to charge guests otherwise it'll be a complete loss," Emily started. "I'm all for the idea, but we need to think smart about this."

Julia didn't have much to do with Emily; she hadn't even had the chance to carry on a normal conversation with her. Emily was often too busy running various activities and clubs to communicate with her fellow peers. She only had one friend from what Julia had observed. A boy called Kenny. Perhaps they were together or something as they both shared common interests. "I agree. We will sell tickets and perhaps half of the profits could go to a local charity?" She'd love to take some of the money for herself, but she knew other people needed it more than her. Now she needed to hear the opinions from Queen and Robert.

Queen stroked her chin thoughtfully. "A fashion show does sound interesting… when would this event happen?"

"At the end of the term," Julia replied.

"And you would be the one promoting your designs?" Queen said.

Julia nodded. "I'd be one of them, yes."

Queen smiled. "That's a relief then. If you were the only one I'd be worried and a little embarrassed for you – I mean, judging by the clothes you wear outside the school grounds I can't imagine your designs would be any good," she chuckled.

Bitch, Julia thought. But that's exactly what Queen was. A real bitch. She was a parasite, thriving on the misery of fellow students. Every word that left her mouth was poison and full of hate. She spun tales and spread lies all for her own sick amusement. She was the queen of malicious gossip hence her name.

"Well, Robert, what's your decision? You are the only one that hasn't spoken yet," Johnny said. "Please tell me you're not going to support this shit?"

Robert turned his head slowly in Johnny's direction. "I will not tolerate the usage of profanity within this council room," he said. Johnny swore, but said no more. Robert faced Julia. "Your proposal has been put forth. I am sure that you are aware you will need the full support of the council for your event to go ahead. I will discuss the matter with the council in our next meeting. When a decision has been made a member will notify you of the result. Until then, you will wait. This meeting is now over."

That was it? She didn't want to wait another week to know whether her event could go ahead or not! "Max and I will do everything in our power to ensure you get the approval," Hilary said, as she walked towards the exit. Julia couldn't speak; she simply nodded. "Those who said no will eventually realize they need to support it. They'll come around. I'm sure of it."

Julia hoped Hilary was right.

.

And that's another chapter down! As you are reading this, I am working on completing the next set of chapters. Reviews are greatly appreciated, as always! See you in the next one!


	3. Friends and Enemies

**Disclaimer**

The rights to Beyblade belong to Takao Aoki

**Title**

The Thin Line between Love and Hate

**Summary**

Kai has moved to Australia in a desperate attempt to put his shady past behind him. He makes new friends, and seems to adapt well, when things start to fall out of his control. Some things are just never meant to be no matter how much you wish it were.

**Soundtrack**

"Life Lessons Learned the Hard Way" by A Day to Remember

There's a badly written lemon in the first scene – feel free to skip it if that's not you're thing. It's not my thing either, but what's a highschool story without at least one lemon? Aside from that, it's a pretty safe chapter, aside from the usual profanity.

**Special Thanks**

Thanks to moonlightvita, Guest, SkyDragonKing, koryandrs and Minij Akane for reviewing the previous chapter!

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**Chapter Three: Friends and Enemies**

_Wednesday_

Wednesday morning. Mystel liked Wednesdays. Wednesdays meant the school week was almost over. Wednesdays also meant a 'special' early morning visit by Ming Ming. These special visits were always of a sexual nature; it was part of a deal they had made. A 'Friends with Benefits' deal. He could easily just satisfy himself, but he preferred having someone else do it for him. It was more thrilling that way.

Garland thought it was wrong. Whenever he had the chance, he would try and convince Mystel to stop. Garland was the typical nice guy – sensitive, loyal, good-natured and equipped with a strong set of morals. He didn't believe in sex before marriage. He disliked blind dates. Hell, the guy didn't even drink, claiming that alcohol poisoned the mind. In short, Garland was a boring person. It was not surprising that Garland had never been in a relationship before; he was seventeen years old and still had yet to experience his first kiss.

Mystel on the other hand, was the complete polar opposite. Born with natural good looks, he was used to girls always smiling in his direction. All he had to do was flash a charming smile towards a pretty girl, and she would be his for as long as he was interested. Smile. Be polite. Be friendly. Smile some more. Ask said girl out on a date. Sleep with her. Ditch her the next day. The usual routine. He played with emotions and enjoyed every minute of it. He had developed a reputation as a 'player' but even so, the girls kept coming back to him, believing he could be changed.

Like _that _would ever happen.

As long as he got what he wanted, he couldn't give a shit what happened to anyone else.

"Are you awake?" Ming Ming asked from behind his door.

Oh how he loved Wednesday mornings.

"Come inside."

The door opened, and Ming Ming stepped inside. Her aqua curls fell around her shoulders, a perfect contrast to her round dark eyes. She smiled at him, a dimple appearing on the right side of her mouth. Cute. But he felt no emotional connection with her. "I'm sure you're well aware of what day it is." She sat down beside him on his bed.

"Of course I do. I know my days of the week."

Ming Ming rested her head on his shoulder, and closed her eyes letting her muscles relax. "Have you ever wondered what would happen to us if Boris were to find out?" She pulled away and looked at him.

Boris would have a major meltdown probably, he thought. The man believed his adopted children were all saints; that they could do no wrong. What a fool he was. But Mystel liked Boris not knowing; if he ever found out, there would be severe consequences, like being sent back to the hell hole he once called home. "I'd rather not think about that."

She smiled and reached over, placing her hand on top of Mystel's. The blond looked up suddenly and then down at their hands. Ming Ming was squeezing his own hand ever so slightly, and he knew what she wanted. What they both wanted. She wanted to be comforted, to be told everything was going to be alright. She began to stroke up and down his arm, gazing deep into his cyan blue eyes. He knew what was going to come next; he had been in this situation many times before. Repetition usually became boring after sometime, but not this. The excitement levels were always the same.

Ming Ming raised her hand and shot it up and under his shirt, trailing fingers along his abdomen, pectorals, and then began to run them over his, now, erect nipples. Fuck. That was it. Now he was officially horny. He could feel his manhood harden as it bulged through his pants, and then grunted when Ming Ming sat on top of him. She began to nip at his neck, continuing to arouse him further. He returned the favour and nipped at her earlobe, while she tended to his neck. A moan escaped her lips. Pulling her closer, he tilted her head and planted a kiss to her lips, grinning when she returned it.

They crashed together and Ming Ming pulled Mystel down on top of her, running her hands through his spiky locks of platinum blond hair. Mystel ran his own hands through her hair. They broke apart in a hurry and sat up together. Mystel fumbled to unbutton his shirt and flung it to the side as Ming Ming pulled her shirt off and flung that down with Mystel's own. Mystel then hugged around her and began to unstrap the straps of her bra. He pulled the straps off and flung her bra to the side. He crashed down on her breasts and pushed her back down on to the couch and held one breast in one hand and had the other encased in his mouth.

Mystel began to unbuckle his pants and took them off. He moved his hands down and began to tug at Ming Ming's night gown and removed it, throwing it aside onto the floor. He began to run his hands up and down her sides, feeling her shiver and moan from the feeling. Now for the next phase. He deepened his kiss, as he pushed himself into her hole, grinning as she moaned. He thrusted into her, and she returned the gesture and thrusted back.

Mystel placed his hands to her hips and gave smaller thrusts as he heard her steady breathing that was beginning to sound spaced out. Three at a time, then two, then four. Time to pick up the pace, he thought. Besides, they couldn't waste more time – Boris would get suspicious. He reached down and nipped at her neck, feeling her hands through his hair as she moaned with pleasure. He responded to her moans, nipping along the base of her neck leaving kisses at her collar bone, as his hands left her hips to circle her breasts.

Ming Ming closed her eyes and gripped Mystel's shoulders as he continued to thrust. "I'm ready, Ming Ming." He told her and gave a few more thrusts before Ming Ming moaned louder than before. Mystel finally let loose his warm seed inside of Ming Ming and collapsed on top of her; resting his cheek against her chest and panting hard with her. They panted together and Mystel groaned as Ming Ming massaged his hair with her fingers

"That... that was... amazing. Simply fucking amazing," Mystel told her as he closed his eyes and sighed in contention as her body warmed against his. He felt her arms around him and felt her kiss the top of his brow. "Do you think we woke up Brooklyn?" he said, grinning. Brooklyn slept in the room next door. Not that he cared much about Brooklyn's well-being of course, Brooklyn was an ass.

Ming Ming chuckled, snuggling up against him. "Who cares?"

"Well, as much as I'd love to remain like this, we probably ought to clean ourselves up and head downstairs. Don't want Boris banging on my door." That would be a nightmare. And also incredibly embarrassing.

Ming Ming rolled her eyes, pulling herself away from him. "Same time again, next Wednesday?"

He grinned. "Sure thing."

Wednesdays were indeed fantastic days.

.

Brooklyn walked down the school corridor, keeping his eyes focused on a group of pretty girls standing in front of a stickered locker. He had seen them before – well, at least one of them he recognized. Mariah. Mariah was talking to some other girl with short light coloured pink hair. They were both wearing maroon shorts, suggesting they had gym next. "Nice legs," he thought to himself, admiring the view.

"I'd advise you to keep your eyes focused in a different direction," a baritone voice said behind him, prompting Brooklyn to turn around. A tanned blond male stood before him, intense blue eyes locked on his face. Not Mystel.

"Who are you and why should I give a damn?" Brooklyn retorted, crossing his arms over his chest. This school was full of uptight fools. Everyone seemed so suspicious of one another.

"The name is Miguel," the blond said coldly, keeping his eyes trained on Brooklyn's face.

Brooklyn sighed. "Was that your girlfriend over there?" he commented, referring to the light coloured girl. "If she was, I'm sorry for looking, but you can't really blame me though. The girl is pretty fine." He grinned.

Miguel's jaw twitched. "Stay away from Matilda."

"Ah, so her name is Matilda. Nice to know. You seem to be pretty protective of Matilda – have you got a crush on her?" Brooklyn teased, watching a slight shade of red wash over on Miguel's face. "If I am not mistaken, I believe you are blushing."

"You're not welcome here."

Was this Miguel part of Lee's group of friends? "You're not friends with Lee are you?"

"No."

That made it two groups of people that had taken an instant disliking to him. Well, more like one group and one person. That was a new record. Making more than two enemies in less than a week. Usually it took a few weeks. "I'm not looking to cause trouble, so let's just pretend that this never happened," Brooklyn stated. He stuck out a hand in a gesture of a friendship. "Truce?"

"You're full of shit."

This boy had some problems. "You're loss then." Brooklyn smirked, turned around and headed towards the two girls… only to find they were no longer there. Damn. Maybe next time. Brooklyn planned to acquaint himself with Matilda later – normally, he'd target the more attractive girl, but Mariah was already hitched. He didn't like dealing with protective boyfriends; that was far too much trouble to handle. But perhaps Matilda was single.

He headed towards his next class, not once glancing over his shoulder to see if Miguel was still there. The weird freak was probably still standing there watching, but Brooklyn couldn't care less. Miguel turned down his friendship, therefore he no longer mattered. Oh well, at least things were interesting again, he thought. Having been homeschooled for the past two years, Brooklyn had almost forgotten what it was like to be in the company of hundreds of other teenagers. The last two days had reminded him that highschool was full of drama.

He was the only member in his household that had been homeschooled – as a young kid, he had been bullied by his peers simply for being more intelligent. He achieved the highest grades with little effort and was favoured highly by his teachers. The other students were jealous, and picked on him daily until he was forced to leave the school.

His fortunes changed when he became a teenage though. He was no longer viewed as the wimpy kid, but rather the arrogant charming smart-arse, a title he felt rather comfortable with. Fellow peers didn't bully him; they avoided him instead, and Brooklyn liked being alone. Most people weren't worthy of his friendship anyway. The only friends he had were his housemates, but even that was a strained friendship. Crusher, aka the sensitive giant, was hardly ever home. His younger sister Monica had fallen sick again, this time with leukaemia, so he spent most of his days with her at the local hospital.

Garland was perhaps his closest friend. He could be trusted with secrets, and he always helped him even if he disagreed with his ideas. Brooklyn viewed him as the mother-hen of the household as he was always trying to look out for his housemates and keep them out of trouble. He was far too serious though, and rarely ever smiled, making his company quite a dulling experience.

On the other hand, Mystel was the type to stab you in the back if he thought it would benefit him in some way. Brooklyn got on reasonably well with the blond though, despite his wavering loyalty. Life to him was just about getting laid and having fun. And then there was Ming Ming, the only female on the team. Ming Ming was like a sister to him – a really annoying one, but he was loyal to her.

"So, you're one of the new kids I've heard about," a male voice drawled.

Great, thought Brooklyn. Turning around, he came face to face with a male wearing a scowl on his face. He had blue hair and stern matching blue eyes. "Yup, that's me. The name is Brooklyn, and you are?"

"Kane. Leader of the Psykicks gang."

Brooklyn couldn't help himself. He laughed. "Psychics… what a name. What do you do, read futures to people?"

Kane did not share Brooklyn's amusement. "It's Psykick, spelt as P-S-Y-K-I-C-K. We're at the top of the food chain here."

And I thought Lee and Rei's little crew were at the top, he thought. Seems I was wrong, he added as an afterthought. "Why are you bothering me? Something tells me you're not here to extend an offer of friendship."

Kane stepped closer. "Keep your smart-arse comments to yourself, ginger. I don't want to make _friends _with you – I want to fuck off and take your gang of merry people with you. This is my turf, and I sure as hell am not going to let you take it from me."

People at this school were weird individuals indeed, Brooklyn concluded. He felt like he was in one of those highschool soapies in the middle of a school war. "I don't take kindly to threats, _Kane_," Brooklyn replied, "I'm not going anywhere. You just have to learn to deal with that."

"Try to make a play for power here and I will act accordingly," Kane threatened, eyes never leaving Brooklyn's face. "You've already caused a fight with Lee and Rei, and I saw you with Miguel. I don't know what your game plan is, but if you think you can intimidate and bully your way to the top then you're sadly mistaken."

"Who said anything about being a bully? I was thinking of charming my way to the top. Besides, I'm not one for copying others; I prefer to choose my own way." Kane seemed like the bullying type. Brooklyn wouldn't be surprised if Kane had chosen to beat up a few people throughout his journey to the top.

Kane snarled. "I'm warning you – don't try and take the reins of control from me."

"And what if I do?"

His snarl turned into a smirk. "You'll find out." He turned his back to Brooklyn, and walked off, leaving Brooklyn standing in the hall confused. So Kane thinks he rules the roost does he? He thought, watching the Psykick leader walk away. This was his third day here and already a ton of drama was happening. No one called him a ginger and walked away unharmed – Kane was going to regret threatening him.

.

Fortunately, for Lee's sake, Brooklyn and his goons had caused no further trouble. Lee had a tendency to lose control of his emotions when faced with confrontation and that usually resulted in a fist fight, which lead to an extended school day. One detention was enough, but receiving more than three in a term led to a suspension.

Rei sat down at his usual spot in modern history, which was right in the far left corner at the back of the class. The teacher was Gideon, a bizarre purple haired man whose hair looked similar to that of a star fish. What was it with purple haired staff? The ones with purple hair seemed to be the most intimidating. Well, purple was considered the colour of evil, so maybe it had something to do with that, he thought.

"Oh my gosh, is that you, Rei?" He frowned. Why did that voice sound familiar? He turned around slowly to face the speaker, and almost cursed. A slender short girl of around five foot three was looking down at him, her purple eyes wide with excitement. She twirled a lock of wispy, purple curls around a finger. "Don't you remember me, Rei? I'm Frankie. We met a few years ago."

Oh, he remembered her alright. And he tried extremely hard to forget her face. Frankie was the biggest mistake of his life. There was a time in Rei's earlier years that he had gotten intimidate with the girl when he was just starting out with Mariah. The beginning of his relationship with Mariah was rocky ground, so he turned to Frankie for comfort. Terrible idea.

"Frankie…"

"We met at basketball camp, remember? About three years ago?"

Ah yes, good old basketball camp. Rei used to be one of the top players of the school basketball team, but he had retired in his fourth year to focus his efforts on education instead. Frankie was a player of one of two all girl basketball teams. A severe storm had come through one night and flooded the grounds out, and Frankie's tent had been swept away. Rei came to her rescue and lend her a helping hand, and Frankie took that as a sign of interest.

"I remember," he said grimly. "Why have you come here? I didn't realize we had any more new students."

Frankie sat down next to him, giving him a wide smile. "My school got shut down, so the council could build some apartments there. So I came here because I knew you would be here. It's much easier to adapt to a new school setting if you know someone," she explained.

How on earth was Mariah going to react to this? How was she going to react when Mariah discovered Frankie and her supposedly loyal boyfriend had gotten to know each other quite well? Rei had hoped to keep his past with Frankie secret, but the girl had a knack of gossiping and accidentally letting things spill. "I want to make this clear immediately, Frankie, but I've moved on from you. I've got a girlfriend."

"Mariah, right? You're still with that tramp?" Frankie sighed, rolling her eyes. "Don't be silly, Rei, I'm not here to steal you from her. Like I said, I had to move. I just want to make a fresh start and I hope we can be friends. It would make this transition so much easier for me if we didn't bare grudges."

Her joyful seemingly casual manner unnerved Rei. Surely, the girl could've gone to some other school – she _did _have other friends after all. But rather than create a scene in class, Rei bit his lip and nodded. "You're right. A fresh start."

Frankie smiled, flashing her perfect white teeth. "That's great! You know, I was thinking, maybe you could show me around the grounds? Hey, you could introduce me to your friends!" she exclaimed. Rei fought the urge to sigh. She was like an annoying clingy ex-girlfriend… oh wait, she was.

"Yeah… maybe some other time. You probably wouldn't want to hang out with my friends; they're a little too serious for your liking."

"If they're friends with you, they can't be _that _bad," she said, lightly tapping him on the shoulder.

Rei cringed. "Please don't touch me. People will get the wrong idea."

"Sorry Rei, it's just a habit, that's all."

She was taking this so much better than he thought. Surely, she had to be up to something. "It's alright." There were times when Rei hated himself for being a 'nice guy'. Right now he wished he was like Kane – Kane had no problem rejecting other people, or putting others in their places. But Rei? No, he couldn't do that. He was just too nice. "I'll introduce you to my friends at lunch," he said, before he could even stop himself. Dammit.

She smiled. "Thank you, Rei!"

Rei wanted to bury his face in his hands and weep. Why the heck had he agreed to that?

.

Kai looked at Julia. Julia looked at eye. He was smiling, and so was she. He searched his mind looking for something to start the conversation, but nothing came to mind. So he took the safest option and smiled instead. "I just don't understand it; why would such a nice girl go out with an asshole like that?" Tyson said as he took a bite into his croissant. "The guy is into drugs, smoking and all that crap, so why would she go out with him?"

"Some girls like guys that project the 'bad boy' image," Julia said. "We like to think we can be the person to change him into a better person," she added. Although she answered Tyson's questions, her eyes were fixed on Kai.

Tyson scoffed. "When they kissed, I threw my popcorn at the screen."

"I didn't realize you watched soapies, Tyson," Julia said, giggling.

Tyson frowned. "My grandpa likes them, says it helps him relate to us kids better." He took another bite. "You should've seen him that night he gave Hiro and myself the puberty talk." A visible shudder coursed through his body. "Terrible time."

"Your grandpa is pretty chill for an old guy," Kai said. "Voltaire just gave me a brochure and told me to 'read it' because he wanted to avoid an awkward conversation."

Both Kai and Julia laughed. "I wish gramps did that… he told us everything," Tyson said. He looked up from his plate, and looked around, then frowned. "What's Johnny doing here?"

Kai looked in Tyson's direction. Indeed, there was Johnny, and he was marching towards their table. That was strange. Johnny spent his lunch time hours down at the sporting field with the rest of the asshole jocks. "Here's trouble," he muttered.

"I wonder what he wants?" Julia said.

"We'll soon find out."

Johnny arrived at the table, flanked by two of his rugby teammates. Steve and Rick. Two big headed idiots. One with green hair and the other with a white ponytail. "Kai. We need to talk," he demanded.

Kai looked up. "What do you want, Johnny?"

"We've lost a guy for the rest of the season and we need someone else to step in to take his place." Johnny pointed at him. "It breaks my heart to admit this, but you're that guy."

Steve snorted, wiping a dirt patch of his arm. "You want to take this fool on? Look at him, Johnny – this guy looks like he wouldn't be able to withstand one tackle."

"He might not want to risk damaging that pretty face of his," said Rick, earning a chuckle from Steve.

"Shut the fuck up. _I'm_ the fucking captain of the team, and _I _make the decisions," Johnny snapped. Steve and Rick fell silent, and Johnny turned his attention back to Kai. "I've watched you play sports during gym class, Kai. You're fast. You have good ideas. And you're smart."

Kai didn't smile. "It's rare to hear a compliment from you, McGregor, you must be desperate."

Johnny sighed. "You're my last resort. You'd be the perfect inside-centre for the team."

"What makes you think I'll agree to it?"

"Fame. Glory. Status. Girls…" Johnny grinned. "Come on, Kai. Wouldn't you like a swarm of girls following you around the grounds, worshipping the earth you walk on? You could have your own personal fanclub available for a good fucking anytime you wanted. And that's not all - being part of a successful rugby team will look good after we graduate. The heads of professional clubs are always looking for fresh blood. So, tryouts start tomorrow. Be there, Kai." He turned around and walked off, Steve and Rick following close behind.

"You're not going to do it, are you Kai?" Tyson said. "It's a dangerous sport. You'll be getting tackled by some pretty big guys."

Being involved in a violent sport was the last thing Kai wanted to do. He had played some rugby back in his homeland when he was younger, but that was just a forced sporting activity he had to take. Those rugby days had given him the toned physique he had now. After all, he had to be reasonably strong to beat up people. "I don't want to, but knowing Johnny he'll find a way to bring me into it." He was a council member after all, and would try and use his influence and position to force Kai into the team.

Julia placed a hand on Kai's arm. "Don't do it, Kai. You'll get hurt."

That was unexpected. Julia seemed to realize this too, and pulled back immediately, flushing. "Well, if I do badly, he won't take me. Johnny will force me into it; probably blackmail me if I refuse. I don't have much of a choice."

"Well, do us a favour and beat that creep to a pulp, Kai," Tyson said.

"Hey… yeah… you could ask him to support my fashion show then," Julia said slowly. "He turned me down, called my idea stupid." Well, that was a complete change of heart, Kai thought. He knew just how much that fashion show meant to Julia though, and he wanted to help his friend as best as he could.

"Alright. I'll do it. I'll make Johnny change his mind about not supporting you," Kai said, looking at Julia.

She smiled. "Thanks, Kai. I know you'll do me proud."

Although there was a smile on his face, deep inside he felt like shit. Would playing a dangerous game with a thug like Johnny bring him back to the life he once lived?

.

I realize that this is probably not the best time of the year to update with Christmas approaching and all, but I felt I had to put out a chapter. Hopefully, you're enjoying the story and the longer chapters! It takes me longer to write, but I'm able to cover a lot more. This was actually going to be a chapter for the now-dead 'Nothing After All' (with major modifications of course).

Here's a question for you all – what bizarre pairings would you like to see? Oh, I was thinking of not including weekend chapters simply because they really have nothing to do with the highschool setting – it would also mean less filler chapters, therefore faster plot progression. But let me know what you think though.

Anyway, as always, reviews are much appreciated!


	4. Making Deals

**Disclaimer**

The rights to Beyblade belong to Takao Aoki

**Title**

The Thin Line between Love and Hate

**Summary**

Kai has moved to Australia in a desperate attempt to put his shady past behind him. He makes new friends, and seems to adapt well, when things start to fall out of his control. Some things are just never meant to be no matter how much you wish it were.

**Soundtrack**

"I Hope You Suffer" by AFI

**Special Thanks**

I have to admit, I was worried for awhile. Didn't think I was going to get any reviews for the last chapter. Thanks to SkyDragonKing, moonlightvita and koryandrs for reviewing the previous one.

Enjoy this one-off long chapter!

.

**Chapter Four: Making Deals**

_Thursday_

The entire lunch hour was one of the most, if not _the _most, awkward session Rei had ever experienced in all years schooling years. He spent the hour long break with a fake grin on his face, pretending like everything was perfectly okay, when clearly it wasn't. He had introduced Frankie to the group yesterday – it was a brief meeting, a few short exchanges consisting of, 'Hi, I'm…' – but it was enough to interest the rest.

The group had extended their friendship towards Frankie to hang out with them every lunch hour from now on much to Rei's disappointment. The usual friends were there – Kai, Julia, Max, Hilary and Tyson – and of course, his girlfriend, Mariah was also present as well as her brother, Lee. Lee and Mariah's distant cousins, Kevin and Gary, had decided to sit with them as well, so the group was a little larger than usual. More people for Frankie to become close with… just great, he thought.

"So, you're Frankie, huh?" Kevin said. The boy was a year younger than the rest and often kept his distance, not wanting to spend more time with his family. But sometimes he sat with them when there was something interesting happening – for example, a new face joining the group. The entire time Kevin was looking at Rei, which only added to the uneasiness Rei was already feeling. Did the boy suspect something? Kevin had this weird ability to pick up on things most people missed.

Frankie nodded, beaming Kevin a smile. "Sure am! I met Rei during a basketball camp a few years back," she explained, brushing aside a loose bang of purple hair away from her eyes.

Mariah gave Rei a sideways look. "You never told me about Frankie." She frowned, and fell silent, fingers drumming on the table top. Rei drew in a deep breath. Did she suspect? "Her team beat yours, right? That's why you never mentioned her. Embarrassed, probably." She laughed, at the relief on Rei's face. "Don't worry, Rei. I forgive you," she added.

"You got me," Rei replied, grimly. His other friends laughed. All but Kevin that is. Kevin had not been fooled.

"Well, it's great that you've decided to remain with us," Mariah said, leaning over the table to glance at Frankie, who was sitting on the other side of Rei. "It's good to have another _girl _join the group." Besides Mariah, there were only three other females, Julia, Matilda and Hilary.

"It's a shame Mariam won't join us for lunch, she'd be a great addition," Matilda said.

Frankie lifted a brow. "Mariam?" She looked to Rei for an explanation.

Rei sighed. Mariam was a strange girl who kept mostly to herself. Sometimes he spotted her around the school grounds with three other guys. One of them was supposedly her brother, and one of the other guys was rumoured to be her lover. She was a very beautiful girl, with long royal blue hair that reached down to her waistline, and piercing emerald eyes that always seemed to be watching others. She had earned the reputation of being an 'Ice Cold Princess' simply because she did not communicate with anyone else outside her group willingly.

"Mariam is… difficult to explain," Mariah started. "Most people just refer to her as the 'Ice Cold Princess'."

Frankie snorted. "Doesn't sound like someone you should bother with then. People like that just aren't worth the effort. If they don't want to talk to you… then why bother talking to them? It's a relationship that isn't going to go anywhere," she said.

"She's right about that," Kai said.

"She is rather cute though," said Max, earning a sharp glare from Hilary. "Well, she is!" he defended.

"Looks have nothing to do with personality," Hilary concluded. Both Julia and Mariah nodded. "She might be 'cute' to you guys, but to us girls, she's just a bitch."

"Well said," Julia answered.

Tyson rolled his eyes. "Mariam isn't cute. Mariam isn't hot. She's like, the hottest chick in school." After that comment, he received four piercing stares from the present girls. "Uh… not _the _hottest, but _one _of the hottest," he corrected, but the damage had already been done. Rei just shook his head, trying not to laugh. If there was one thing Tyson needed to learn, it was not to speak of other girls in front of your female friends, especially if the other girls were attractive.

"Enough about Mariam, we should be more worried about the new students," Matilda said.

Lee nodded. "You are referring to that ginger, Brooklyn, right? And his group of friends? We've already gotten a taste of what they are like, and I'm sure they're going to try and do what they can to make their way to the top of the chain."

"Oh, puh-leeze," Hilary said, waving a hand in the air, as if swatting away a fly, "I'm not scared of them. And you shouldn't be either. They'll never make it to the top – the Psykicks won't let that happen."

"You are confident," Lee said.

Hilary nodded. "Someone has to be. I'm not going to let jerks walk all over me just because they think they're hot."

"Well… they _are _hot," Julia said. Kai looked at her, arching a brow. She quickly defended herself. "I'm just saying, they're not exactly what I would define as 'ugly'. A girl can admire a pretty face… it doesn't mean she wants to jump him though." She looked to Max and Tyson. "Max, you called Mariam cute. And Tyson thinks she's hot. It's just admiring good genetics that's all."

"And the problem with that is they _know _they're hot," Matilda added. The boys at the table continued to look confused and disgusted. "They know how to work their charm to their advantage. I thought Enrique was a dick, but he's nothing in comparison to these boys. Someone ought to put them in place."

Kai held up his hands, "Hold on. I'm not starting a war with anyone here; I've got Johnny to worry about now. I don't want to have to deal with more assholes that I can handle. And if any of them harasses you, just let me know and I'll tell Boris their caretaker and our new principal. I know the guy; he's my grandfather's friend."

Max nodded. "I agree with Kai, I don't want to get into a fight with anyone. They're not worth our time and effort."

Julia twirled a lock of hair around a finger, and sighed. "You're right. But if any of them try anything on us… I'm _not _afraid to stand my ground." She looked to the girls for support, and they all nodded. Rei just smiled. At least they weren't talking about himself and Frankie anymore. In fact, it was like they had all forgotten she was there. He turned to her now. She had been listening intently to the entire conversation. What thoughts were running through her head?

"Sorry Frankie, we kinda just ignored you then," Mariah said sheepishly, "You should hang out with me and the girls after school today – we're going to go on shopping trip."

Rei straightened eyes wide. Had Mariah just invited Frankie to spend quality girly time with the other girls? Oh dear lord, not good. What if they became extremely good friends and Frankie let it spill? It would lead to a nasty fallout.

A smile broke out on Frankie's face. "I would love to…" she then looked at Rei, "if that's okay with you, Rei."

If he said no it would make him look a jerk, so he nodded and silently prayed nothing bad would come out of this. "Why would I say no?" he said lightly, trying to make it seem like no big deal. "Have some fun." He had to admit, Frankie was doing a good job of warming up to the others. They seemed to like her.

"If the girls are going to have a shopping trip after school, us guys should do something fun too," Tyson exclaimed. "Video gaming session! We can play _Battlefield 4_!" He traded high-fives with Max.

"I'd love to, but I can't. The rugby tryouts happen this afternoon," Kai said, looking a little glum. "Speaking of tryouts, I need to get my fitness up. Anyone interested in a game of tennis?" Max, Tyson, Julia and Hilary nodded. "Great. See you down there in fifteen." He scarfed down his sandwich, stood up and headed towards the tennis court. Rei was going to follow him to watch, but a look from Kevin told him to stay.

"Have fun guys," Rei said, waving them goodbye. "Don't get hurt."

"Oh Frankie, I'll show you the canteen menu!" Mariah urged, standing up. Matilda stood up as well, as did Lee and Gary.

Frankie shrugged. "Sure thing."

Now everyone had left the table except for Kevin and Rei. There was an awkward silence when Kevin suddenly spoke. "When did you and Frankie get together, Rei?" Kevin asked.

The forwardness of the question surprised him. He blinked, and arched a quizzical brow. He could play dumb here, but this was Kevin. Nothing got past him. "It was just a fling, nothing serious. It happened during camp… when Mariah and I were going through a rough patch," he said truthfully. No point in lying to the distant cousin of his girlfriend.

"Just a fling? Nothing else I hope."

Rei tightened his jaw. "Nothing serious happened. I don't have feelings for Frankie, Mariah is everything to me." He'd be a fool to lose her.

Kevin gave him a long hard stare, until he spoke again, "I hope for Mariah's sake that it was just some harmless flirting, Rei… I'm not going to tell her - it would _crush _her to know the truth – but one day it will come, and you should be the one to tell her before anyone else does. I don't trust Frankie." Hearing those words from Kevin made Rei think twice about Frankie's intentions of coming here. Why _had _she come?

.

"Did you see the hot blonde? You know the one with the thick Italian accent?" Mystel started. He was lying down on a low lying stone wall outside on the playing fields. "Fuck, she was fucking gorgeous."

Brooklyn nodded. "I think so… the one with the curvy hips?" He heard her name was Rosette. She was some rich, snotty girl with a fine frame who liked other guys with money. She was actually French by blood, but she was born and raised in Rome. Cute face, but dim-witted. Brooklyn didn't like stupid girls, even if they were cute.

"Yeah, that's the one," Mystel lazily replied, gazing up at clear blue sky.

Garland was also there, and he was less than impressed with the direction of this conversation. He was sitting on the wall, with his arms crossed over his chest. "You should smile more often, Garland," Brooklyn said, "or are you afraid your face might crack?" he smirked.

Mystel chuckled. "Speaking of hot girls, how many do you think are actually virgins?" He sat up now, giving Brooklyn an amused grin. "Because I've just thought of this great idea - a way to make the next couple of months more exciting – I'm sure you won't refuse."

"I'll hear you out."

"Let's make a bet. Who can convince a virgin to spread her legs for himself first," he said with a smirk.

Brooklyn wrinkled his nose. "Sounds interesting… dumb idea, because you are going to lose to me, but it'll be fun. We need to touch up on some of the details though, like the girl needs to be a specific virgin, and not just any. And what do I get out of it if I win?"

"Anything," Mystel replied confidently. He was certain he wasn't going to lose.

"I'll take your room. Your one is bigger than mine for some reason. Agreed?"

Mystel nodded. "Agreed."

"We need to find out who the virgins are though, and I hear there's one girl who knows everything about everyone here. Her name is Queen. I'll seek out, get the information, and I'll pass it back onto you. Yeah?" Brooklyn replied. In the corner of his eye, he caught Garland rubbing his temples. Poor guy was stressed. "Garland, don't worry about it. Nothing bad is going to happen. It's just a bit of fun, that's all."

"I have a bad feeling about this," Garland said.

"You have a bad feeling about everything," Brooklyn stated, rolling his eyes. "You need to loosen up. Maybe you should try jacking off once in awhile, it'll do you wonders for your health and state of mind." Garland raised both eyebrows, looking a little flustered. Brooklyn sniggered. Such risqué talk made the guy feel uncomfortable.

"I think I'm going to find Crusher…" he started.

Brooklyn laid a hand on Garland's shoulder. "There's no need to run away, Garland. The conversation is over now anyway. I'm going to find Queen now, so I'll see you guys over at the tennis courts. Jerking off isn't an option now, so a game of tennis will have to do." He sauntered off, leaving his two friends behind.

Now where would he find Queen? He hadn't actually caught a glimpse of the girl yet, but he knew what to look for. He had overheard two people talking about her yesterday in one of his classes. She was pale, skinny with dark hair and eyes. Not exactly the most detailed description, but at least it narrowed down his targets.

He headed back towards the school hallways where his locker was. Perhaps she'd be in there somewhere; after all, he had heard she liked the indoors, in particular, places where there were heaps of people. The hallways were always full – people were constantly swapping books, taking money, gossiping and making out here – so there was a good chance Queen would be there.

Fortunately, the hallway was only a short walk away. The school might be spread over a few acres of land, but the main buildings were all close together. He stepped inside the hallway and walked up and down slowly, keeping an eye out for Queen. He spotted a gaggle of girls hanging nearby talking loudly about some cute guy, falling silent as soon as he walked past. He smirked to himself, waved out to them, then continued on.

On the other side of the hall, he spotted some jocks arguing loudly about some sport game. Brooklyn rolled his eyes; jocks. They were such a dumb bunch of guys incapable of having a thought outside sport. He continued to walk down until he reached his own locker, and was surprised to find a pale-skinned female leaning next to it. She matched the description he had heard about Queen. Was this her?

She really wasn't that much to look at. She was reasonably tall, only a head shorter than himself to be exact. Her skin was pale; very pale, he wondered if she had ever felt the rays of the sun on her skin. She was also rather thin that she almost looked anorexic. He felt a little disappointed. This was it? He was expecting some hot babe. "I take it you are Queen?" he asked.

Her dark eyes fixed on his face and stared at him for a couple of minutes. She looked him up and down, a hint of a smirk tugging the corner of her lips. "You're Brooklyn then. I've heard a lot about you. I have to say… judging by what I heard I thought you might be one of those silly jocks," she replied, almost spitting out the word 'jock'.

So, the girl hated them too? She might not be the prettiest face in the building, but she was a good judge of character. He stepped closer. "If you assumed I was a jock, then I suppose you've only heard bad things about me then?" She tilted her head and laughed. "Humour aside, I came to find you. I've heard you have information."

"The list detailing everyone's sex history, right?" Queen said.

"You don't seem too surprised."

She shrugged. "People come to me asking for a lot of things." She took a step closer to Brooklyn, and leaned in whispering in his ear, "Most people don't get anything… consider yourself lucky that you're still talking to me." She drew back.

"Will you give it to me?"

She laughed. "You think I'm going to give you such valuable information just like that? I expect payment in return." She crossed her arms, and took a step back, her dark eyes never moving from his face.

Well, this was a girl he wasn't used to conversing with. Most of the girls he bothered with were usually the attractive ones that looked easy to break. This was not such a girl. "What do you want then? Money?"

She shook her head. "Don't need it."

"Good grades. Some say I'm a child prodigy… I can get you perfect marks."

Again, she refused. "Try again."

His mind ran a blank. Despite all his intelligence, he couldn't figure out what else the girl could want. She didn't want money. She didn't seem to care about high academic results either. What else could she want? "I… am clueless."

She stepped towards him, and whispered into his ear again. Brooklyn was aware there were students watching, but no one seemed to be doing much else. He suspected they were used to seeing people approaching Queen. "You've heard the term… sex sells, right?"

He immediately drew back. She wanted sex? "I don't fuck people I've only just met."

"Well, that's a shame… guess you won't get your information then…" she said mockingly, pulling back again, opting to lean against his locker door. "What's it going to be?"

Did he really need that information about virgins? He could find out a different way, but that would take ages, and most girls would probably lie about it anyway. "I'll think about it."

"Going to keep me waiting then? You are such a tease." She reached down under her blouse, and pulled out a piece of paper then handed it to Brooklyn. "My address if you decide to come."

.

"Hilary! The ball has to make it over the net!" Tyson protested, shaking his tennis racquet at the poor confused and frustrated girl. They had been playing tennis for the past ten minutes, and Hilary had yet to succeed in actually getting the ball over the net.

"Well, if you gave me the chance to actually prepare my shot, then I could actually get it over the net!" Hilary screamed back.

"You can't take your time hitting the ball unless you are serving!" Tyson retorted, his voice growing in volume with each turn to speak.

Hilary was just as loud, if not, louder. Kai exchanged knowing smiles with Julia. Tyson and Hilary were basically born for each other, yet they couldn't see how perfect they were for the other. She shook her racquet. "You are just a ball hog!"

"And you can't aim!"

"At least I'm trying!"

"Well... at least I'm not a… a _girl!_"

"Oh boy, he's done it now," Kai said, tightening his grip on the racquet. Max was standing on the left sideline refereeing the match. Not that there was really much to do though since the game was going nowhere at the moment. Hilary stormed over to Tyson. Kai had to give Tyson credit for standing his ground though; the boy didn't even flinch. It was like he welcomed the challenge.

Max rushed over to the bickering pair and stood in between them before racquets could be thrown. "Okay, cool it. This is a friendly game, not a competitive battle. If you can't work together, then change partners. Kai, team up with Tyson. Hilary, team up with Julia." Tyson seemed relieved and hurried over to Kai's side of the net, while Julia joined Hilary. The two girls exchanged high-fives prompting Tyson to make a weird snorting noise.

"Great. Now they'll probably do some girl-power mumbo jumbo," he muttered. He spun his racquet in his hands, and took on a stance.

Kai served the ball, and hit it hard over the net towards Julia. The ball bounced, and she ran forward and whacked it back towards Kai. Both Kai and Tyson raced for it, but Kai got there first. He struck it back, this time towards Hilary. Hilary missed it by a mile. She screamed and hurled her net to the ground. "You're supposed to hit the ball, Hil!" Tyson teased.

She glared at him. "Shut up, Tyson!"

"Okay, maybe this match up was a bad idea. Tyson, you pair up with Julia, and Hilary you team up with Kai. That will even up the odds," said Max. He looked like he was trying very hard not to burst into hysterical laughter.

Once again they changed teams. Hilary stomped over to Kai's side, and Tyson walked over to his original position with the ball in his hand. He threw it over towards Hilary, "You can serve this time. You might get a lucky shot and get it over."

She stuck out her tongue, but picked up the ball. Heading over to her spot, she glanced down at the ball then at the racquet, as if trying to figure out what to do next. Kai felt sorry for her, so he walked over to her side, and stood behind her. "Here, I'll help you." He wrapped his arms around her, placing his right hand on her serving arm, and his left hand on the arm holding the ball. "Lift the ball up, and hold the serving arm back."

Hilary nodded, and with Kai's guidance, she got the right position. "Now what?" she almost squeaked. Was she nervous? What a difference from her previous behaviour.

"Throw the ball up in the air and the racquet forward at the same time," Kai said gently, moving her serving up back and forth slowly. In the corner of his eye he could see Julia looking a little annoyed. Kai quickly pulled back from Hilary – he didn't want to give either girl an indication he was interested – that would only cause trouble in the long run.

Taking in a deep breath, Hilary threw the ball up in the air, brought her serving forward and whacked the ball. The ball sailed over the net towards Tyson, who was so shocked, he missed the ball. A wide smile crossed her face. She jumped up and down. "I did it! I hit the ball over the net!" She looked at Kai, "Thanks Kai!"

He smiled. "It's no big deal. We help each other out, that's what friends are for."

"You got lucky that time, but next time you won't be," Tyson retorted, picking up the ball. He ran back over to his spot, and prepared to serve but stopped mid movement. "Oh no, we have trouble." He tilted his head forward, a simple action telling Kai and Hilary to glance behind them.

They did. Kai groaned. Brooklyn, Mystel and some other guy marched towards them. Something told him there was going to be trouble. "They can't be here! We've booked the courts for this hour!" Julia said, storming over to Kai's side of the net. Hilary followed.

"You have room for two more, right?" Brooklyn jeered. "Mystel and I will take you on. Garland here doesn't want to play."

The one called Garland looked like he didn't want to be here. It was as if he was ashamed to be there with the other two. Perhaps there was someone reasonable in Brooklyn's little group after all, Kai thought. That was a good thing because if there was a fight, Kai's side would probably lose. That guy was ripped. "The courts are ours. You can have it tomorrow," he pointed out.

Brooklyn looked at him. "We want it now. Is that a problem?"

Hilary stormed over to him, Julia at her side. "We've _booked _the courts. You can't have this session."

"Oh come on, we're all friends here," Brooklyn sneered. Hilary and Julia did not move. Brooklyn sighed. "How about we take you on then? Whoever loses gets the courts for the rest of the week," he said.

"Fine. Challenge accepted," Hilary spat, as she handed Brooklyn a racquet.

Holding up his hands, Brooklyn smirked. "Whoa there girl… if you are indeed a girl… I don't want to touch that."

"Take that back!" Tyson said, running forward. Fortunately, Kai grabbed his arm and pulled him back, holding him in place.

"Don't do anything stupid, Tyson," Kai warned. "Don't add more fuel to the fire. The girls can handle this." A part of him, a tiny part of him, wanted to get involved in the fight to put them down, but he suppressed the urge. That part of his life was over. He would _not _walk down that path again.

Brooklyn looked at Tyson. "Give me your racquet."

"Do it, Tyson," Kai whispered.

Tyson spat at the ground then gave it to Brooklyn giving him a death glare. "I hope Hilary puts him down…" Kai led Tyson over to the sideline where Max was currently standing. Mystel received his racquet from Julia and joined Brooklyn on the far end. This was going to be an interesting match.

.

The tennis match had been going on for at least ten minutes now, and surprisingly, no one had died. Well, not literally. Hilary and Julia looked like they wanted to kill though which was understandable. Brooklyn and Mystel both seemed to be taking it easy, like they were hardly putting in any effort, while the girls were doing their utmost best to stay in the game.

Hilary was beginning to crack; Kai could see the frustration brewing in her eyes. Her hits were accurate and powerful and her steps were fluid and swift. But no matter how hard the girls tried, they didn't appear to be gaining any ground. "Fucking hell, they hit like girls," Brooklyn jeered.

"Well, they _are_ girls," Mystel corrected.

"The one with the long hair certainly is… but I'm not too sure about the other one," Brooklyn replied, loud enough for all to hear. He tilted his head to the side, then added, "I guess you are right… she's just a very ugly looking girl. Do you think she's even straight? There's no way in hell you'd ever catch me with my dick up her ass… you'd have to drug me first. For all we know, she could be a lesbian… look at that haircut."

Tyson was on the verge of running out onto the court to pummel the bastard into the ground, but he couldn't move because Kai and Max were holding him back. It was taking a lot of effort though. The boy was fighting very hard to free himself, but Kai had a lot of practice in holding back people. Back in his early days, sometimes he would help the poor victim stand so Bryan or Spencer could punch him in the stomach until he cried.

"There's no way I'd let you even come near me to start with!" Hilary retorted. "I wouldn't lower my standards." She hit the ball over the net, and Mystel sent it back towards Julia.

"She talks about standards when she is friends with an oaf…" Brooklyn replied, throwing a brief glance in Tyson's direction, "but I suppose that's all she can ever hope to get." He shot Hilary a triumphant mocking smirk.

Ouch. Kai knew Hilary well enough to know she had a tendency to get a little violent. She cared deeply for her friends, and no one got away with saying anything bad about them. As much as she argued with Tyson over the littlest of things, she cared for him. Brooklyn was about to learn a very important lesson – never mess with Hilary. "You shouldn't speak of Tyson in that way," Julia started, swinging the racquet. "You just made a big mistake," she added, almost gleefully.

"I'm so _fucking _scared," Brooklyn taunted. "What are you going to do, bitch slap me?" he said scornfully. He held up both his hands in the air, "Come at me you fucking dyke!"

Hilary hissed. "Don't call me that. I'm not a _dyke._" Mystel hit the ball back, but instead of swinging it back, Hilary let it go. It hit the wall and bounced back then slowed to a stop. Hilary bent over and picked it up, then prepared to serve. She took her time with it, and Kai had a funny suspicion he knew what she was aiming for. He was glad he was not the one to face Hilary's wrath.

"Stop it now, Brooklyn," Garland said from the sidelines. He actually looked a little worried now. Perhaps he had the same suspicion Kai had. "You've had your entertainment, just drop it and apologize."

Brooklyn sent Garland a withering glare. "You don't tell me fuckin' shit!" he snapped.

Interesting, Kai thought. It seemed like the friendship within their little group was a strained one. And it appeared the over-confident and seemingly collected Brooklyn had a temper when provoked. This could work in their advantage… "Hilary's got this under control. I'd imagine they won't dare to bother her after this," Kai whispered.

"Mother _fuck."_ Brooklyn had dropped onto the ground like a sack of bricks, curled up into a foetal position. The string of curse words had ceased, as he lay there on the ground, unmoving. Kai cringed. Ouch.

"Looks like we own the courts for the remainder of the week," Hilary said, storming over to stand beside Brooklyn. She knelt down and said, "You should be grateful that I don't have a strong arm. Say anything about my friends again and I will do it again. I hope you learned something new today." She stood up and led the way out of the courts.

"Arrogant sack of shit," Julia said, then rushed after Hilary.

The guys were a little more sympathetic to the whole matter as they could totally relate. "That was nasty," said Tyson. "The prick deserved it… but man that was harsh." Tyson then left with Max to follow the girls leaving Kai alone. Mystel peered down at Brooklyn. He looked torn between laughing and feeling sorry. Kai wondered if Hilary had hit the wrong guy.

He wandered over to Garland, who seemed to be the only other reasonable person on the courts. "Sorry about your friend."

Garland shook his head. "Don't worry about him – I'd worry more about your friend. You don't know Brooklyn the way I do. You have no idea what he is capable of, so tell your friend to keep her distance." He turned his head sideways. "You're Kai, right? Heed my warning - do not think this is a victory for your female friend."

Garland walked away, and Kai chose to do the same. What had Hilary started?

.

It was hard to concentrate on the rugby tryouts because all he could think about was Garland's warning. What exactly would Brooklyn do to get his revenge on Hilary? He did seem like the vengeful type. He was so lost in his thoughts he couldn't react in time when he was greeted with a powerful tackle.

"Ow," he groaned, as his back hit the grass.

"Use your fucking eyes, Hiwatari. There's no space for daydreamers on the battlefield," Johnny shouted, rolling off Kai.

The afternoon had been long and painful. While his friends were shopping and playing video games, he was getting tackled to the ground by beefy guys. Big, beefy and sweaty guys who were keen to get rough. He was fortunate enough that he had been given the role of being a back, so he could avoid most of the violence, but he still had to make and take tackles.

He picked himself up from the ground, but before he could stand properly, he was knocked to the ground again. This time it wasn't Johnny who tackled him; it was Steve, and damn he was heavy. "Get off me," Kai said, trying to force the other guy off. Either he was getting physically out of shape, or Steve was _really_ heavy.

"We're not here to be nice, Hiwatari. Get on your feet," he said, then rolled off Kai. This time Steve allowed Kai to stand which Kai was grateful for. He knew he was going to be feeling these tackles for awhile. Voltaire was going to be so shocked when he picked him up. He'd probably fear that Kai had slipping into his old habits.

"Tackle me, Kai," Johnny taunted, circling around him. "I want you on the team, but you have to prove it to me, otherwise I'll be forced to have Enrique on the team. Or worse, Oliver." He shuddered at the thought.

Kai turned to look at Johnny. Johnny flexed his muscles, and braced himself for a tackle. Kai sighed, and reminded himself he was only doing this for Julia. He needed to get on Johnny's good side to convince the bastard to support her. If Johnny could be convinced, the others would more than likely follow suit because he'd threaten them. He lowered his knees slightly, charged and threw his weight at Johnny arms outstretched.

His arms made contact with their target, and he wrapped them around Johnny's waist and brought both themselves crashing to the grass. Johnny laughed, and freed himself, while Kai just lay there on the ground, hurting. "Good work, Hiwatari… you actually did it. You need to be tougher than that though, you tackle like a girl."

Kai flipped his middle finger up at Johnny as he stared up at the clouds, gasping for breath. This was going to be a long painful week. Johnny extended a hand and helped him onto his feet, then patted him on the back. "We're gonnna practice some throwing and kicking now then some running exercises. After that, we'll work on weights. Think you can handle it?"

"I hope," he mumbled

"Great. You'll be paired with Rick."

Kai glanced at Rick. Rick grinned, pounding his right fist into his left palm. "Come on, Kai. Show me what that puny body of yours can do."

"This had better be worth it…" he muttered, as he trotted over to join Rick. He put on a fake grin for the bulky guy, and was greeted with a rugby ball to the chest. Kai almost stumbled backwards. Damn. He had almost forgotten what it felt like to play rugby. "Do you really have to throw so hard?" he said, throwing the ball back.

Rick laughed. "That was a gentle throw." He threw the ball again, this time with so much force Kai actually fell over. "That was a normal throw. Man up, Hiwatari, it's going to get tougher than this. Can you handle the heat?" He laughed again, as Kai struggled to stand up. His ribs were sore, his legs were aching, his heart was racing and his back was stinging from all the times he had hit ground. He had lost count now, but he was sure he was in the double digits.

Once again, he forced himself up. It was getting harder every time. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to stand the next time he found himself face first kissing the dirt. Would he even be able to roll out of the bed tomorrow for the last day of the school week? Perhaps he could pretend to be sick? But Voltaire would simply tell him it was his own damn fault for getting himself into this mess.

"Catch the ball, Hiwatari!"

He wasn't sure why the other guys were calling him by his surname. It wasn't like there was another Kai on the team and it wasn't like Kai was hard to pronounce. He supposed it had something to do with professional players being called by their surnames by the commentary team. Fortunately, he caught it. "Catch it, Anderson!" That was Rick's last name… right?

"At least you got something right," Rick answered. "Think fast, Hiwatari." Instead of throwing the ball, he kicked it instead. What the heck? Kai ran after it, and threw himself at it. He slid across the grass (receiving a grass stain in the process) and caught the ball. His moment of triumph was short lived though, as the pain kicked in.

There was no way he was going to school tomorrow.

.

Sorry everyone, I apologize for the extra two thousand words added on to this chapter. I like my chapters to be the same length for consistency, but there was nothing I could do to avoid it without ruining every future chapter. I hope you managed to get through it without falling asleep.

As for characterizations, who are you finding the most interesting so far? And who annoys you the most? Even though I'm the one writing it, I am finding Brooklyn to be a real ass, even though I do love him as a character. He fits the role perfectly don't you think? Don't worry, he'll eventually become likable… but that's at least twenty chapters away still.

Anyway, in the next chapter, some groundbreaking stuff is going to happen that's going to set into motion a dramatic change of events. It may feel like this story is moving faster than 'Nothing After All' but really it's moving slower – there's so much more to cover now and if I want to get through it all within the designated time, I need to move things along.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this special chapter! See you in the next one! Reviews are much appreciated, as always!

All the best for the New Year!


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